LETTER: An open letter to Victoria Atkins MP

Letters

Published:11:49Wednesday 30 September 2015

Tax Credits: ‘Poorest will be hit hardest’

Dear Victoria Atkins,

We, the undersigned, feel that Victoria Atkins’ decision to support the Government in the recent vote to cut working tax credits raises two pertinent questions for the Louth and Horncastle constituency.

Firstly, did she canvass the opinions of the local constituents she was elected to represent on this issue before the vote, or was she simply voting according to the party line?

Secondly, accepting that tax credits may be a flawed system, does she agree with the Institute for Fiscal Studies that the average family affected will be £1,300 a year worse off as a result?

Furthermore, the low-pay options for UK employers – such as zero-hour contracts and half-minimum wage apprenticeships – has meant that, for many families in our area, the fight to put food on the table has become harder.

The tax credit cuts will hit the poor the hardest.

A greater degree of consultation between Victoria and local residents is perhaps needed in the future on this and other issues to reduce the possibility of constituents suffering further deprivations in the future.